The Howell Area Fire Department evacuated about a dozen businesses in downtown Howell for about two hours Wednesday due to a gas main break.

Howell Fire Chief Andy Pless said a construction worker digging behind the Advanced Medical Solutions building, 106 W. Grand River Ave., hit a portion of the gas line, knocking off a service valve at 11:10 a.m., releasing the gas into the surrounding area. The loud hissing sound of the gas could still be heard at 12:15 p.m.

"We're going to shut it down and repair it and let people reoccupy once it's safe," Pless said just as Consumers Energy crews arrived on the scene around 11:45 a.m. to shut off the main and fix the break.

The evacuation affected Yax Jewelers, A & L Resale, Advanced Medical Solutions, DiStefano Dentistry & Associates and other businesses on the northwest corner of Michigan and Grand River avenues.

Melissa, a DiStefano employee who did not want to give her last name for privacy reasons, said she and eight of her co-workers were asked to leave their building, forcing the dental office to cancel a number of appointments. She and two of her co-workers walked across the street to Uptown Coffeehouse to wait for the all-clear from the Howell Area Fire Department.

"We smelled it right away," she said. "I wasn't scared. It smelled really bad and we got headaches."

Tirzah Sirken, co-owner of Finding Roots, said she received a text from a friend asking if she was aware of the main break. Her business is located on the northeast corner of Michigan and Grand River avenues.